This is for Judaism-related terms that come up on the main site whose meanings people may well not know.

To search this glossary for (e.g.) משנה, type

is:answer inquestion:this משנה

in the search box at the top-right corner of this page and hit Enter. Note, though, that that effort may be stymied if you search using one transliteration of a word and the word is listed here with a different transliteration.

If you want the definition of a term you came across on the site, please add it without a definition, and (hopefully) someone will define it.

To those who follow a link here: If you see an answer that's inaccurate or misleading, or could be better, please go ahead and modify it if you have the knowledge.

Here's a general format for a simple entry:

עברית - english (along with any common variants)

Definition goes here, or a links to the term's tag wiki if there is one, possibly a link to Wikipedia or other reference.

@yydl, 48=22+26 is how many letters there are in the English and Hebrew alphabets, so how many answers we would have had had we gone with the one-answer-per-initial-letter-of-the-term method, which we seem not to be doing. See also today's transcript from the site chat room. As for noteworthiness or what-have-you, the way I figure, a word that appears on judaism.se and needs explanation should go here; what do you think?
–
msh210♦Dec 26 '11 at 0:42

(There are some slight differences among these terms. "Rebbe" is often reserved for a hasidic leader; "reb" sometimes used as a title for laymen. "Rebbeim" might teach in schools whereas "rabbonim" might lead synagogues.)

מראית עין — maarit ayin, maris ayin — [lit. "vision of the eye"] — the act of something that looks like a forbidden activity, although it is not.

Generally used in the context of avoiding an activity, not because it is forbidden per se, but because it looks like a forbidden activity and might create the false impression that the forbidden activity is actually permitted. For example, a Jew who keeps kosher might attend a business luncheon in a non-kosher restaurant without eating anything. While this Jew consumed no non-kosher food, it could create the false impression that this restaurant's food is actually kosher.

(Note that laws mid'oraysa are generally considered to include not only those literally in the Pentateuch but also many derived therefrom by the rabbis or transmitted generation to generation from the time of the revelation on Mount Sinai.)

מלרע milra'andמלעיל mil'eil — preposition phrases (used as adjectives or adverbs) — when pronouncing Hebrew, where the stress is placed. Milra' stress is on the final syllable (e.g. sha-BAT, hav-da-LA); mil'eil stress is on the penultimate syllable (e.g. sha-MA-yim, ME-lech).

The commandment that forbids senseless waste. Biblically, it refers to cutting down fruit trees, but rabbinically, it has been applied to many things including throwing out food, tearing clothing, and killing animals (for reasons other than food).